


Rescue Me

by SlantedKnitting



Series: merlin memory month 2019 [5]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Minor Injuries, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-16
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-03-06 08:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18847171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlantedKnitting/pseuds/SlantedKnitting
Summary: Arthur goes on a walk and ends up stuck halfway down a cliff.





	Rescue Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Merlin Memory Month](https://merlinmemorymonth.tumblr.com) on Tumblr.
> 
> Day 5, Path 1: Bruised and Battered

The breeze swept along the mountain trail, blowing coolly though Arthur's hair, and he paused to take in the view. He rested his foot on a boulder and took a deep breath as he looked out over the forest.

It was breath-taking. The colours, the mountains, the trees, the sky, the clouds. They all came together to make something beautiful, and only Arthur had this exact view.

He reached into his pocket for his mobile to take a picture.

The boulder—or maybe it was more like a largish rock—moved a little. Before Arthur could shift his weight off of it, it broke away from the mountain, tumbling down the cliff, and Arthur tumbled after it.

"Ow, ow—ow," Arthur grunted as he rolled, bouncing off of tree roots and scraping his hands against stone as he scrambled to find something to hold on to.

He came to a stop when the not-a-boulder got caught on something, and he got caught on it.

Unfortunately he slammed into it with his arm, and he could feel it crushing his bones.

He lay there for a moment, panting and trying not to think about the pain. He needed to figure out how to get back up to the trail.

As he sat up, he realised just how far he had fallen. There was no way he was going to be able to get back up to the trail, not with a broken arm.

The rock shifted again, and Arthur only just managed to get his good arm around the trunk of a tree before it rolled off again, crashing down the cliff.

"Okay," Arthur said to himself. "Just think."

He was supposed to have been on this walk with Gwaine, but Gwaine had begged off ill at the last moment. Not wanting to miss out on _all the beautiful nature_ , Arthur had decided to go on his own.

Clearly that had been the wrong idea. Nature was beautiful, but it was also dangerous, and now he was stuck halfway down a mountainside with a broken arm and ripped jeans and a tattered, muddy shirt.

Reaching across his body with his good arm, Arthur managed to get his mobile out of his pocket. It didn't look damaged, but there was barely any signal. Hoping for the best, he called the park service.

By the time the ambulance parked up on the trail, Arthur was grinding his teeth in pain. He kept shifting around, trying to find a comfortable way to lean against the tree, but every time he moved his arm hurt worse.

"Down here!" he called out, waving his good arm.

A guy jumped out of the van and made his way, carefully, down the cliff.

"Hey," he said as he approached. "I'm Merlin. What happened?"

"Leaned against the wrong boulder," Arthur said. "My arm—"

"Yep. Anything else?"

Arthur shook his head, but Merlin still gave him a quick once over.

"Your ankle's swollen," he declared, crouching down next to Arthur.

"Is it?" Arthur looked at his foot, surprised to see its size. "I didn't notice. My arm—"

"I can go get a sling. Do you want us to get a stretcher?"

"No," Arthur said quickly. He just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. "I can walk up, it's just my arm that's a problem."

"All right. Stay put."

Merlin started heading back up the cliff, and Arthur relaxed against the tree, letting go of his fear of being stuck on the mountain.

Relaxing apparently wasn't a good idea. Now that he wasn't panicking, Arthur was starting to feel his non-obvious injuries. His ankle was throbbing, he felt tender all along one of his sides, and both his knees were bleeding through his jeans.

"How're you holding up?" Merlin asked when he returned with a sling and another medic.

"Fine," Arthur muttered, wondering if he really was going to need that stretcher.

The other medic helped Arthur sit up as Merlin fitted the sling over Arthur's arm and gently tied it over his shoulder.

"You're all right," Merlin said, patting Arthur's non-injured shoulder, and Arthur realised he was grinding his teeth again. "Ready to get up?"

Arthur forced himself to nod. Merlin and the other medic lifted him, and he winced as he tried to put weight on his swollen ankle.

"All right, arm around me," Merlin said, lifting Arthur's arm over his shoulders. "We've got you."

That last part was only mostly true. It took a while to get up the cliff because Merlin and the other medic kept slipping and nearly losing the grip on him. They reached the ambulance in the end, and Arthur felt like he'd just run a marathon.

The medics deposited Arthur in the back of the ambulance and then got on their walkie talkies. Arthur just closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, hoping they would give him something for the pain.

"Okay, let's get you to hospital," Merlin said as he hopped in the back of the ambulance. The other medic got in the front to drive. "Do you do a lot of walking?"

"A fair amount," Arthur said, his eyes still closed. The ambulance jerked a little as it took off on the rocky path.

"Usually alone?"

Arthur sighed and opened his eyes, but it didn't look like Merlin was judging him. It just looked like Merlin wanted to make conversation.

"No," Arthur said. "My mate bailed, and… well, I'm an idiot, apparently."

Merlin smiled kindly. "It happens. If it helps, I've seen worse."

"Not sure that really helps," Arthur said, shifting around and trying to get into a remotely comfortable position.

"Didn't think so. So, what do you do when you're not out risking your life for a bit of a walk?"

"Finance." Arthur flexed his fingers and winced. "Guess I won't be doing much typing any time soon."

"You'll recover quicker than you think."

Arthur tried to shrug, but that hurt, too. He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything else.

"Is there anyone you'd like for us to phone?" Merlin asked. "Friends, family, girlfriend, boyfriend?"

Arthur shook his head, thinking that he should have them call Gwaine and really milk his injuries. Maybe that would teach him to abandon Arthur on a hike.

But, really, it wasn't Gwaine's fault.

He could have them call his sister, Morgana, but he'd rather just do it himself.

"We're almost there," Merlin said.

Arthur nodded and rode with his eyes closed until they reached the hospital.

"Here," Merlin said, handing him a piece of paper as the other medic started ushering him inside.

Arthur took it without thinking and held it in his fist as he checked in.

Once he was situated in a room and waiting for a doctor, Arthur unclenched his fist and looked down at the paper, wondering if it was somehow a bill.

It was just a phone number.

Arthur smirked and, as best he cold, folded it and tucked it away in his pocket next to his mobile, thinking a drink with a cute medic would be a good ending to a not especially good day.


End file.
